[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 1]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 1016]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            TERRITORIAL SEA

                                 ______
                                 

                  HON. GREGORIO KILILI CAMACHO SABLAN

          of the commonwealth of the northern mariana islands

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 6, 2013

  Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing a bill that will 
return to the people of the Northern Marianas ownership of the three 
miles of submerged lands surrounding each of our islands. In doing so, 
this bill also puts the management of these lands back in the hands of 
those who have the greatest interest in protecting the natural 
resources there and in developing their economic potential--the people 
of the Northern Mariana Islands.
  I say ``return'' because, until 2005, we believed we owned these 
lands around our islands; and we cared for them accordingly. But in 
2005 the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that--unlike the case for 
every other coastal state and territory in our Nation--the submerged 
lands and waters off our shores did not belong to us, but rather 
belonged to the federal government.
  The Court did acknowledge in its ruling that Congress had the 
authority to convey these lands to the Commonwealth of the Northern 
Mariana Islands; and it is that authority that my bill would exercise.
  We have been here before. In three previous Congresses legislation 
has been offered to provide the same ownership of submerged lands to 
the Northern Mariana Islands as is enjoyed by American Samoa, Guam, and 
the U.S. Virgin Islands. In 2005 Representative Jeff Flake of Arizona--
now Senator Jeff Flake--introduced H.R. 4255 for this purpose. And in 
2009, when for the first time the people of the Northern Mariana 
Islands themselves were represented in this House, I introduced H.R. 
934, conveying these lands. That bill passed the House without dissent, 
416-0, in July of 2009, but died in the Senate. Again in 2011 I 
introduced this legislation, as H.R. 670. Again the House passed the 
bill without dissent, 397-0. Again the Senate failed to act, although 
the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on a 
companion measure, S. 590, sponsored by Senator Jeff Bingaman and 
Senator Lisa Murkowski.
  In each Congress each bill introduced on this issue has progressed 
farther down the legislative track.
  I hope the fourth time proves to be the charm.
  We know from past action that this House supports local control of 
these local resources in the Northern Mariana Islands. The Obama 
Administration has testified in favor of the conveyance. And I can 
attest that my constituents desire equivalent treatment to other U.S. 
coastal jurisdictions. So, we just have to give the other body one more 
opportunity to join in this wide agreement.
  Let me add that the cost of the measure I have introduced is nothing 
and that Congress has the Constitutional authority to enact this bill--
two threshold questions that we must always answer.
  And let me thank the hundreds of Members who voted in favor of this 
conveyance in the 111th and 112th Congresses and all those Members who 
are original co-sponsors of today's measure, which provides the right 
of ownership and responsibility of management for submerged lands and 
waters to the Northern Mariana Islands that every other coastal area of 
our Nation enjoys.

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